Kylian Mbappé scored twice against Third Division side Talavera in Real Madrid's hard-fought 3-2 victory in the Copa del Rey. The Frenchman is now just one goal away from equaling Cristiano Ronaldo's record for most goals scored by a Real Madrid player in a calendar year, a record he set in 2013.

What if Kylian Mbappé were to equal, or even surpass, the record for goals scored in a calendar year with Real Madrid, currently held by Cristiano Ronaldo? The French striker is rapidly approaching it. On Wednesday evening, during Real Madrid's victory against the modest Talavera in the Copa del Rey (3-2), Mbappé distinguished himself by scoring a brace. These two goals bring his annual total to 58, just one shy of " CR7 " and his 59 goals scored in 2013.

Starting alongside Arda Güler and Álvaro Carreras, with most of Real Madrid's key players rested, the Frenchman seemed primarily tasked with showcasing his goal-scoring prowess. Talavera, far from giving up, put up a strong fight and even managed to beat Andriy Lunin twice, nearly pulling off a stunning upset. It took a decisive save from the Ukrainian goalkeeper, on a header 13 seconds from the end of stoppage time, to preserve Real Madrid's qualification.

Mission accomplished for Real Madrid, and exciting prospects for Mbappé on a personal level. With only one match left to play this year, on Saturday against Sevilla (8:15 pm), the Frenchman could equal Cristiano Ronaldo's record by finding the back of the net once, or even surpass it with another attacking masterclass.

Antoine Griezmann scored a brace for Atlético

Like Real Madrid, their city rivals Atlético Madrid struggled to secure a victory. Playing away at Palma, they relied on a brace from Antoine Griezmann – two goals from a pure number 9 inside the box – and a strike from Giacomo Raspadori to win 3-2 against a fourth-division side that also missed a penalty late in the game.

A few scares but qualification nonetheless, a trap that three other top-flight teams were unable to avoid in tricky away games against D2 opponents. Bottom of La Liga, Levante lost on the pitch of Cultural Leonesa (0-1), as did Celta Vigo in Albacete (2-2, 2-3 on penalties) and, even more surprisingly, Villarreal, 3rd in La Liga and fielding players like Nicolas Pépé and Georges Mikautadze, in Santander (1-2).